Rkibi, Abed, Khayraoui, Ouzar, and Houran qualified for the finals of the competition. Mohamed Abou Hamda was eliminated in the semi-finals. He settled for the bronze medal. Ghroumi left the championship from the first round.

In addition to the three medal winners, Yemen, Tunisia, Iraq, Libya, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Sudan, and the UAE took part in the championship.

The Moroccan national boxing team (seniors) is currently taking part in the Strandja Cup held in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Moroccan boxers are competing in the 5-day event in Bulgaria, February 12-19, in preparation for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the African Games to be held in Morocco in August, and the World Boxing Championships to be held in Russia in September.

Last month was eventful for Morocco’s boxing scene. A number of newcomers experienced morale-boosting victories on the internationale scene, whereas two of the most revered names ran into troubles.

Boxers Zakaria Tijarti and Nordine Oubaali won a Full Muay Thai World Champion and the the WBC World Bantamweight title, respectively.

Meanwhile, world-renowned kickboxer Badr Hari tested positive in an anti-doping test, while boxer Mohamed Rabii was sentenced to a one month suspended prison sentence for adultery.

On May 25, 1964, Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round of their rematch in Lewiston, Maine. Ali landed a single right-hand counter, called the anchor punch, to knock Liston out. Rumors abounded regarding the ending as many believed Liston could have gotten up. With the win, Ali retained his world heavyweight title.